Audi defies the global financial crisis: €1.200 special one-off bonus and €2.300 profit-sharing payment per employee
“We want to thank our team, and not only after record years like 2008,” emphasized Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG, at today’s Annual Press Conference. “In addition to an average profit-sharing payment of €2.300, we will therefore be making a special one-off payment of €1.200 to each employee this year. This special bonus rewards the exceptional performance shown by our employees in crisis-hit 2009.” Audi has navigated the global crisis better than many of its competitors. “This is also due to the passion and creativity of our team of employees, who tackled nine production start-ups in 2009.”
In addition to this extra reward for employee performance, which will be paid out in June, the roughly 43,000 wage-scale employees of AUDI AG at its German locations in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm can once again look forward to a profit-sharing payment this year: Despite the global financial and economic crisis in 2009, the Company will be paying out a total of €97 million (2008: 230 million) to employees this year, on top of the special bonus. “After an unusual year in 2009, we’re below the previous year, of course, but we’re in first place among our competitors,” said Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG. “An attractive employer is one that translates the company’s success into success for its employees – even in tough economic times. Especially in times like these, the dedicated and tireless efforts of each individual employee contribute to the success of the company and that helps to secure jobs. We’re thankful for that.”
At its annual press conference today, Audi announced its operating profit for 2009: € 1.604 (2008: 2,772) million. Ten percent of the operating profit over a threshold of €1.2 billion, i.e. €40,4 million, will be distributed to employees in May of this year for this profit-sharing component alone. This amounts to an average of €930 per employee. The so-called expanded employee profit-sharing program (eMEB) was defined in April 2005 in the “Audi’s Future – Performance, Sharing, Success” agreement that was established by the company management and the General Works Council. The eMEB is a voluntary component of compensation that exceeds the collectively agreed salary and is dependent upon the company’s profits.
Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, said: “It was an easy choice for the Works Council. The team’s dedication and motivation to perform, and particularly its flexibility, have paid off during the past year. We at Audi therefore succeeded in bucking the trend and defying the economic crisis. Upon the initiative of the Works Council, the Audi Board of Management decided to reward the tremendous efforts of its employees by awarding them a special bonus of €1.200 each in addition to the profit-sharing payment that they received. This provides a lasting boost to team spirit at Audi and increases the workforce’s motivation to master the challenges that lie ahead of us.” The Works Council views competitiveness and job security for employees as corporate goals of equal importance. It is now particularly important to emerge from this crisis on the automotive market as a stronger company, with new models and a motivated workforce.
The expanded employee profit-sharing payment will be made for the fifth time this year in addition to the employee profit-sharing payment (MEB) that has previously been made. The MEB is composed of the base amount, a bonus scaled according to seniority, and a variable share of profits. An average of €1.355 per employee will be paid out in July.
This is AUDI AG’s method for rewarding the performance of the employees during this year, with a special one-off bonus of €1.200 per employee and an average profit-sharing payment in May (eMEB) and July (MEB) of €2.285 per employee.
Despite the problematic economic situation, Audi has stuck to its investment plans, including those in the area of personnel. The carmaker continues to provide a high-level training program and guarantees to provide jobs to all candidates who successfully complete training. For last year’s 100th anniversary of the car brand, the Company announced 100 additional training slots. Training for these young people will begin in September of this year. “This will allow us to account for the challenges of the future, new technologies and demographic developments,” Widuckel said. “Audi is holding to its practice of providing training and continued professional development for its employees.” To be equipped for the challenges of the future, the skills of employees must be constantly developed – from the start of training all the way to retirement.
